


1095.73 Days Without You

by hanmajoerin



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Angst, Drabble, F/M, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 11:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22849519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanmajoerin/pseuds/hanmajoerin
Summary: Time was a juxtaposition. It claimed to heal all wounds but left Kagome with every single one of hers. This is a series of interwoven drabbles highlighting the moments during the three year separation period where Kagome realizes that an InuYasha-less world is not one she can call home.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome & InuYasha, Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 10
Kudos: 29





	1. One Day Without You

1095.73 Days Without You

**Chapter One: One Day Without You**

What were the odds that someone would actually drop their hairdryer into a bathtub or a sink filled with water? Then again, what were the odds of time travel being real or a sixteen year old girl being able to do it?

It probably wasn't fair to compare history to something as casual as a machine, but Kagome couldn't help it. She never cut the warning label off of her hairdryer’s cord so it swung freely in and out of her vision. Her thoughts imitated its motions. First she would recall the warmth that encompassed Naraku as he died, then she’d close her eyes and wait for her mind to construct InuYasha just as he appeared to her in the Jewel.

It was odd to witness Naraku find peace. Kagome wondered if the warmth he found in death was similar to the relief her fingers found as they ghosted across the coarse fabric of InuYasha’s fire rat robe. Maybe the weight of her tears in the darkness was exactly like the peace Naraku found. It was a sign that they were both saved, but it wasn’t fair. Naraku got to stop while Kagome was left wrapping the cord back around her hairdryer, comparing her life to a warning label.

Kagome stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair wasn’t greasy anymore but she still looked kind of crummy. There were these bags under her eyes that muffled every other feature on her face. Moreover, the edges of her brows were crinkled, paralyzed by a threat that no longer existed. Sighing, Kagome turned away from her reflection. In a few hours, she would be at school where a whole onslaught of teenagers would be looking the same way.

"'Sis?" Souta asked, knocking on the bathroom door. Kagome scowled at his cautious tone. He was trying to be safe like Mama and Grandpa. All three of them refused to confront her about InuYasha’s disappearance yesterday. Instead, they pretended not to notice how often she tried to use the well. Kagome scrunched up her lips. Now she understood how InuYasha felt after murdering those bandits as a full demon. He was right: Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and she had been treating him with too much care. Back then, there was really nothing to be sensitive about. Her family had nothing to worry about either because the past was overflowing with spiritual energy. She and InuYasha were still connected. In three or four days he’d get tired of waiting and come to get her. She figured his yoki would jumpstart the well on this side. Tucking her hairdryer away, Kagome replied with an even, unbothered tone. "Yes?"

"Are you done yet?"

The question reverberated through her brain.

Are you done yet?

Was she done time traveling? Was the well permanently sealed? Did a whole year of her life just become a gripping bedtime story?

Are you done yet?

Kagome glanced at the mirror, picturing a half demon in her stead. When InuYasha faced a problem, he wasn't very secretive about it. Admittedly, he tended to run off his mouth for a while but in the end he would always do his best to confront the issue. Kagome decided that she could, too. So instead of mulling over Sota’s question, Kagome gave that warning label a second thought. It seemed ridiculous that someone would be irresponsible enough to submerge a hairdryer in water. Then again, she had her own grocery list of ridiculous accidents from roughly five hundred years ago. Of all of them, freeing InuYasha was the greatest. He made her look so good—like hair that was blown dry.

Kagome groaned internally. It was horrible to compare a person to an object. Still, if InuYasha was like her hairdryer she hoped the well wasn't a bathtub and prayed that she hadn't dropped him in. Offering the mirror her best straight face, Kagome squared her shoulders. "Yup," she said, opening the door and walking into the hallway. "Bathroom's all yours."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whenever I use a hairdryer my hair just poofs up and frizzes a lot, but I have no doubt that Kagome could wield one like a champ. Anyway, I plan on making this a dumping ground for drabble pieces centered around the three year separation. We always focus on the pain InuYasha must've gone through after losing someone so precious so quickly, but we forget how hard it must've been for Kagome to re-adjust to life in Tokyo. And I mean, something about her healing process had to lead her to the conclusion that an InuYasha-less world is not the place for her. Maybe I'll find my own conclusion over her conclusion as I go along. Anyway, huge thanks to my girl sankontesu for requesting that I put this together!
> 
> Edit: In chapter six of this story, I decided to start including a lyric at the butt end of each chapter that either fits an acute part of the chapter or the mood of it. Sometimes they’ll come directly from my 1095 Days Without You playlist and other times, the lyrics just work. Here is a lyric that just works from the Goo Goo Dolls’ song “Name.” 
> 
> “And even though the moment passed me by, I still can’t turn away.”
> 
> -hanmajoerin


	2. Three Days Without You

1095.73 Days Without You

**Chapter Two: Three Days Without You**

Sota wasn't magic like his sister or InuYasha but his gut was usually right. That was why it plummeted the moment Kagome stormed out of the mini-shrine. "This is hardly the time for InuYasha to learn what patience is," she huffed. 

Ever since InuYasha got pulled into the Bone Eater’s Well, Kagome had been cycling through states of irritation, anxiety, and agitation. Sota thought she was anxious since she was sporting a scowl but fidgeting with the lining of her skirt.

"Honestly!” Kagome exclaimed. Sota thought wrong: Kagome was irritated. “I'm going to teach him a thing or two about timing after school."

Two days ago, Sota believed his sister was confused which made sense. A week hadn’t even passed since the incident and he was still confused. What happened? Who had she and InuYasha been fighting? Where did they get stuck? Where did the well go? How did something just disappear like that? How was InuYasha able to talk to him through the ground? Nothing added up but Kagome wasn’t exactly in the mood to hand out answers. She was too focused on pretending that InuYasha was coming back. And Sota knew that InuYasha was never coming back.

“Hey ‘Sis,” Sota said, jogging up to her side. He stared up at her like he always did. “Do you think the well’s broken or something?” Another question tickled at his tongue but he didn’t have the courage to let it pass through his teeth yet. Instead, he waited for her to answer, staring out at all of the skyscrapers that lay past the shrine grounds. 

"It is. That's why InuYasha has to come get me." 

Kagome’s response wasn’t what he wanted to hear, and as a matter of fact, Souta already knew how to counter it. It made his stomach feel queasy though. He didn’t want to say it out loud. “Okay, but, what if the well’s broken on InuYasha’s side too...?” 

His words seemed to make the bags under Kagome’s eyes turn a deeper shade of purple and it stretched the scrapes on her face. Kagome didn’t give her little brother the opportunity to marvel at this vulnerability because her expression metamorphosed as quickly as spilt water spreads on a table. It left Sota hastily fumbling to get a grip on the death glare usually reserved for his hero. 

“InuYasha always comes for me.” 

The lump in Sota’s throat was all but yanked into his stomach. He forgot how scary Kagome got. "Yeah, I know, but—"

"Always."

"Honestly!” Kagome exclaimed. Sota thought wrong: Kagome was irritated. “I'm going to teach him a thing or two about timing after school."   
  
Two days ago, Sota believed his sister was confused which made sense. A week hadn’t even passed since the incident and  _ he  _ was still confused. What happened? Who had she and InuYasha been fighting? Where did they get stuck? Where did the well go? How did something just disappear like that? How was InuYasha able to talk to him through the ground? Nothing added up but Kagome wasn’t exactly in the mood to hand out answers. She was too focused on pretending that InuYasha was coming back. And Sota knew that InuYasha was never coming back.

“Hey ‘Sis,” Sota said, jogging up to her side. He stared up at her like he always did. “Do you think the well’s broken or something?” Another question tickled at his tongue but he didn’t have the courage to let it pass through his teeth yet. Instead, he waited for her to answer, staring out at all of the skyscrapers that lay past the shrine grounds. 

"It is. That's why InuYasha has to come get me." 

Kagome’s response wasn’t what he wanted to hear, and as a matter of fact, Souta already knew how to counter it. It made his stomach feel queasy though. He knew didn’t want to say it out loud. “Okay, but, what if the well’s broken on InuYasha’s side too...?” 

His words seemed to make the bags under Kagome’s eyes turn a deeper shade of purple and it stretched the scrapes on her face. Kagome didn’t give her little brother the opportunity to marvel at this vulnerability because her expression metamorphosed as quickly as spilt water spreads on a table. It left Sota hastily fumbling to get a grip on the death glare usually reserved for his hero. 

“InuYasha always comes for me.” 

The lump in Sota’s throat was all but yanked into his stomach. He forgot how scary Kagome got when she was mad. "Yeah, I know, but—"   
  
" _ Always _ ."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For such a young dude, Souta has always seemed pretty clever, sharp, and smart. He is Kagome's younger brother so... Anyway, although these are short drabbles, I tend to agonize over every word I type. The good news is that I have the next chapter's skeleton, but I've got to switch gears and work on meselfanwhy and my original comic, "Pass the Yaten" (google search that ish). I'll be trying to finish the next one as soon as possible though!
> 
> Edit: In chapter six of this story, I decided to start including a lyric at the butt end of each chapter that either fits an acute part of the chapter or the mood of it. Sometimes they’ll come directly from my 1095 Days Without You playlist and other times, the lyrics just work. For this chapter, I chose a line from Amy Shark’s song “Mess Her Up” which is on my 1095 Days Without You playlist. This song also made it onto my 1095 Days Without You Deep Cuts playlist which just means the song can almost always put me in the mood to write this fic. I believe the song is about cheating and I know Sota definitely wasn’t secretly dating InuYasha or anything but the line super fits Kagome’s near future. 
> 
> “This is really gonna mess her up.”
> 
> -hanmajoerin


	3. Five Days Without You

1095.73 Days Without You

**Chapter Three: Five Days Without You**

  
It was 5:00am on a Thursday and the fluorescent numbers on Kagome’s alarm clock beamed at her from the nightstand. Today was the fifth day since she and InuYasha purified the sacred jewel. It was also the first time she got a full night of sleep and the first time she dreamt about the final battle. Kagome closed her eyes and the red light from her clock mingled with the static behind her eyelids. Those numbers were the brightest things in the room and they left hazy blotches of color on the walls, the nightstand, the desk, the carpet—everything. It reminded her of InuYasha. 

And there were so many reasons for the color red to remind Kagome about InuYasha. She reached a hand up to her shoulder. Even through the thick material of her pajamas, she could feel the rugged scabs he left behind. Why, out of all of the memories she gained from that last battle, did her mind conjure up that one? InuYasha spent three whole days in the darkness searching for her; she couldn’t run away from him again. 

Opening her eyes slowly, Kagome stared at the half demon’s usual spot by the wall, adjacent to the window. She wasn’t really focusing on it just loosely realizing how InuYasha hadn’t always come home with her. Letting her hand fall back onto the comforter, Kagome wondered if it would have been okay for InuYasha to be here. Seeing him after that dream? Kagome probably would’ve cried. 

Maybe it was better that he was giving her some space. 

When she glanced at her alarm clock, it was 5:02am. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I’m always reminded about how wonderful writing what you want is during the school year. This was such a welcomed form of procrastination (and I hope the wait was worth it!)
> 
> Edit: In chapter six of this story, I decided to start including a lyric at the butt end of each chapter that either fits an acute part of the chapter or the mood of it. Sometimes they’ll come directly from my 1095 Days Without You playlist and other times, the lyrics just work. This song, “You Worry Me,” by Nathaniel Ratecliff & The Night Sweats is not on my playlist but it does work.
> 
> “Were you up all night afraid of what the future might bring?”
> 
> -hanmajoerin


	4. Nine Days Without You

1095.73 Days Without You

**Chapter Four: Nine Days Without You**

Kagome spent the past ten minutes dividing her attention between her cheeseburger and the highlights of Yuka’s budding romance with student council president, Kenta Abe. It had been over a week since the well stopped working on her side so this outing was a divine intervention. 

“Don’t tell Ito I said that; she has loose lips. Anyway,” Yuka said, waving the topic away with a single french fry. Kagome took a bite of her burger, eager to hear what was beyond her classmate’s “anyway”. “Can you believe that Mr. Yamada is giving us our first  _ exam  _ in the second week of the year? Who does that?” The question was paired with an over exaggerated hunch of her shoulders which Kagome couldn’t help but smile at.

“I can’t believe it either,” Kagome replied, peeling back more of the cheeseburger’s yellow wrapper. Without thinking, she confessed, “I’ve been so distracted lately... I just haven’t had time to sit down and read  _ Snow Country _ . How am I going to pass the test?”

Eri elbowed her in the ribs, sending Kagome’s after school snack plummeting into her lap. “I guess it would be hard to focus on homework with your boyfriend hanging around all the time,” she stated suggestively, raising her brows for emphasis. “What are you guys up to these days?” 

Kagome blinked for a moment; focusing first on her lap, where a grease stain was bound to be forming, and then on Eri. “Oh, just the same old things,” she dismissed with the tiniest laugh. Her classmates were right: InuYasha had been distracting her just not for  _ those _ reasons. 

“Speaking of your boyfriend,” Yuka began to ask as Kagome grabbed a napkin. “Wasn’t he at that freaky well thing the other week?” 

Kagome’s shoulders tensed—a dead give away. Maybe this WacDonald’s trip wasn’t a gift from the gods. 

“Yeah, what was that all about?” Eri seconded, scooting a little closer to Kagome. Although she was the only one who was attempting to physically cage in the high schooler, the message was clear: Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi all wanted answers. There was just one problem: Kagome couldn’t prove that time travel existed or that demons were real anymore. 

She dipped her head down, her lips latching onto WacDonald’s classic striped straw. It wasn’t as if she expected this sip to last long enough to think of a good excuse but  _ an  _ excuse would do. “Well, uh... My grandpa warned me about the old well. He said it had some connection to our family’s ancestry and I didn’t believe him so I messed around with it a little bit. I didn’t expect anything to happen.”

“So... what does that mean?” Ayumi asked while Kagome heaved a sigh. “Were you like... spirited away? Is that even real?” 

“Well I... I don’t remember,” Kagome lied, closing her eyes and leaning back into the cushioned booth. What she wouldn’t give to have it swallow her whole right now. Sota would never hear the end of it for inadvertently putting her in this situation once she got home. “It was probably just one of Gramp’s weird spirit things.”

“But your family seemed really worried, Kagome,” Yuka stated. “Are you sure that’s all?”

“Like I said: I don’t remember.”

Kagome observed Yuka as she tapped her cup against the table’s surface. She knew it wasn’t fair to any other friends but the Feudal Era was still her family’s secret. “Come on, don’t you remember how your boyfriend was there? He said he’d find you but we couldn’t even see him, right girls?” They nodded in unison, hopeful that bringing up InuYasha would “spark” Kagome’s memory. 

“Oh,” Kagome began with a false sense of cheer. “InuYasha works part-time at the shrine so he just happened to be around for me.” 

Her three friends let out exasperated groans and if Kagome was playing down anything else, she would have laughed at them, but this was InuYasha. InuYasha. Kagome gazed down to her hands. He looked so surprised when he found her in the darkness. His mouth was poised just enough to reveal a single canine tooth, and his brows were warped with worry, and he was sweating. She was too. 

Eri clicked her tongue before popping an elbow down onto the table and resting her chin in the palm of her hand. “You’re no fun, Kagome. I can’t believe you don’t remember  _ anything _ . I bet you’re hiding something from us.”

Both of Kagome’s hands crashed down, knocking over her side of fries. She was standing now sporting a crooked smirk. This was the most animated she’d been all afternoon so she hoped it would be convincing enough to end the conversation and talk about something— _ someone _ —else. “No way! I’m telling you the truth...”  _ InuYasha saved me _ .

-X-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The book that Kagome and her friends are reading, Snow Country, is written by Yasunari Kawabata. I’m not sure if this is something high schoolers in Japan would have to read but I had to read it in my modern Japanese literature course. It was an excellent story, I recommend it! Also, all of the previous chapters have been edited to reflect what I hope is a stronger narrative. Check them out if you’d like.
> 
> Edit: In chapter six of this story, I decided to start including a lyric at the butt end of each chapter that either fits an acute part of the chapter or the mood of it. Sometimes they’ll come directly from my 1095 Days Without You playlist and other times, the lyrics just work. The lyrics for this chapter come from Third Eye Blind’s song “The Background.” The inspiration that this song has given me has been monumental and I just adore it! I’m sure we’ll see more of its lyrics later down the road. That being said, it also made the deep cuts playlist for 1095 Days as well as the big playlist!
> 
> “I walk Haight Street to the store, and they say, ‘Where's that crazy girl? You don't get drunk on red wine and fight no more.’ 'Cause I don't see you anymore, since the hospital. But the plans I make still have you in them.”
> 
> -hanmajo


	5. Sixteen Days Without You

1095.73 Days Without You

**Chapter Five: Sixteen Days Without You**

A burly breeze rattled the window that Kagome left unlocked for over two weeks. After spending a year diving through the waters of time, she learned how important it was to, at the very least, acknowledge a loud sound. But tonight the only noteworthy noise in her vicinity was the cacophonous snap of her mind as it cracked like a glow stick.

_ Find  _ _ dy/ _ _ dx _ _ for  _ _ x _ _ 2 _ _ \+  _ _ y _ _ 2 _ _ = 25 _

_ dy/ _ _ dx _ _ = InuYasha _

Kagome’s fingers pressed against her temples in abstract horror. Leave it to that jerk to distract her from studying without even making an appearance! It was insufferable. Then again, if InuYasha threw open the window and jumped into her room grumbling nonsense, Kagome’s homework could exit through that same window and get lost forever. A  _ physical _ distraction from him was more than welcomed—it was wanted. 

Something between a groan and a sigh trudged through Kagome’s pursed lips. This was the longest she and InuYasha spent apart since meeting. She missed him. And that feeling was beginning to pinch at her heart. Her glazed brown eyes reeled their focus back to the ink speckled pages lying about her desk. Tonight, the only InuYasha she’d see was an answer that Ms. Suzuki wouldn’t accept and Kagome couldn’t bear bringing the eraser to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Long time no write, friends! I can’t begin to tell you just how many times I’ve attempted writing this chapter. I’m kind of like guiding Kagome as she walks along the tightrope of her denial. I’ve gotta be very careful with how I express her emotions as she begins teetering. It won’t be long until she falls and, uh, it’s fair to say that InuYasha was her safety net. He’s gone so that’s gonna suck. 
> 
> Edit: In chapter six of this story, I decided to start including a lyric at the butt end of each chapter that either fits an acute part of the chapter or the mood of it. Sometimes they’ll come directly from my 1095 Days Without You playlist and other times, the lyrics just work. The lyric that fits with this chapter comes from Kings of Leon’s song “Reverend.” It’s not on my playlist but it is an excellent song!
> 
> “Your heart will never say it's so, and your heart will never let it go.”
> 
> -hanmajo


	6. Thirty-Two Days Without You

1095.73 Days Without You

**Chapter Six: Thirty-Two Days Without You**

_ “Hey, Kagome!” InuYasha barked from the opposite end of the hallway and Kagome’s shoulders slumped, her brand new blue blazer too stiff to imitate the motion. It was hard to believe that she discovered the correct wish, purified the Sacred Jewel, and returned through the well with InuYasha over a month ago. Life certainly changed for her—for all of their friends—and Kagome was happy to volunteer her drastic transformation from middle schooler fretting over an evil half demon and high school entrance exams to a high schooler predicting her friend’s next comment with almost psychic accuracy. ‘InuYasha’s picked you up for the third time this week; things are so serious,’ Kagome thought to herself as Ayumi tucked a small chuckle behind the back of her hand. _

_ “That’s the third time this week,” Ayumi said, that small laugh peeking out from between her fingers. Kagome groaned and, honestly, she didn’t care if InuYasha heard it. If he did, the sheen in his amber eyes hardly showed it as he stopped in front of the two school girls. Ayumi landed a playful jab to Kagome’s arm, turning her focus to the half-demon. “I was just about to tell Kagome that you picking her up is so sweet.” _

_ In typical InuYasha fashion, InuYasha turned his nose to the ceiling. “Well, I wouldn’t have to come ‘n get her if she didn’t take so damn long to leave,” he grumbled as a contradictory haze of pink spread across the bridge of his nose. _

_ Kagome rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay—let’s just go home already,” she carped, placing her hands against his back and pushing him down the hallway. InuYasha’s feet scrambled to keep up with the motion but the longer the three congregated, the more likely it was for whispers of the temperamental delinquent boy—not student—to finally reach her teachers. It wasn’t that Kagome was ashamed to be seen with InuYasha. As a matter of fact, the truth was far from it. Plus, these new days of peace were overflowing with late night kisses, confessions, touches, and conversations.  _

_ Kagome was confident that if her life changed in any other way, it would be a nightmare. Still, InuYasha had a lot of learning to do when it came to the customs of the Modern Era. The teachers of this school would never know he was a half-demon from the past which would make them assume he was some yanki that needed to stay away. Kagome loved InuYasha, but even the thought of telling him to wait outside of the school gates gave her a headache.  _

_ The school girl turned her head back to Ayumi. “Meet you at the train station tomorrow?” _

_ -X- _

_ The overall frigid A/C in Seiyu Supermarket had nothing on the teeth-chattering Arctic tundra that its frozen meat and seafood section omitted. Kagome was relieved that she and InuYasha managed to come out on the other side after thirty bone-chilling seconds.  _

_ “Where’s the ramen, Kagome?” InuYasha asked instantly, nearly leaping in the air as he turned around to face her. Excitement exuberated from the tips of his white fuzzy ears all the way to the pointed nails on his toes. Clearly, not even walking barefoot on frigid vinyl flooring could affect him. Must be a half-demon perk, and maybe the seemingly impenetrable fabric of the fire rat. _

_ Instead of answering her boyfriend, Kagome found herself drawn to the easygoing smirk he sported. Without Naraku hovering over him, InuYasha’s shoulders seemed lighter, his smiles more genuine. He looked at her with these wide, golden eyes that couldn’t possibly know hardship. _

_ The schoolgirl turned priestess hoped these grocery trips Mama made them take would be a part of their future forever. Even though a forever with InuYasha was a wonderful fantasy to build in her mind, the present unfolded before them both and there was ramen waiting. Kagome shook her head and took InuYasha’s hand, leading the way. InuYasha boldly tangled his fingers between hers, all while continuing to gape at their surroundings. “How does your world have so much food?”  _

_ “Distributors?” Kagome answered, albeit not confidently.  _

_ “Dis—what?” _

_ Kagome waved him off, pointing to several long, packed shelves. “Well, never mind that InuYasha, look: ramen!” _

_ It was clear that Kagome’s world enchanted InuYasha; the unadulterated merriment and unabashed exploration he’d taken to showing while vigorously inspecting ramen flavors was a good reminder. It also reminded her about his habit of wandering through the halls of Yosono High while sticking out like a sore thumb. She had to at least try getting him to stop. While she pondered the best way to approach the topic, Kagome realized that it felt like hours since they left school which was strange. It had only been minutes. She couldn’t explain it, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t attempt asking InuYasha to change their after school meeting place. _

_ “You know you could wait outside for me,” Kagome started.  _

_ Without missing a beat or tearing his attention away from scanning the shelves, InuYasha simply stated, “If I wait outside, you’ll just get distracted.” _

_ “That’s not true! You’re going to get me in trouble!” _

_ “Haven’t yet.”  _

_ Kagome’s bottom lip protruded, shamelessly pouting.  _

_ A light of recognition sparked in InuYasha’s eyes, and for a split second, Kagome believed he had something to add to their conversation. Of course, she ended up watching him grab four cups of ramen—two in each hand—from seemingly opposite ends of the shelves. _

_ “InuYasha,” Kagome whined. _

_ “Yes?” He asked, lowering all of the styrofoam cups into their already full green basket.  _

_ Maybe it was the way he answered her with such gentle sincerity or maybe it was because she missed him so much that waltzing into a potential argument—wait. She missed InuYasha? The idea sent her reeling backwards. _

_ “I—I, I miss you,” she stuttered, brows furrowing together. “How is it possible that I miss you when we’ve spent every day together since defeating Naraku and the Sacred Jewel?” _

_ “The Sacred Jewel?” the half-demon asked, cocking his head to the side. How was he this calm? Couldn’t he hear how quickly her heart was beating—it shook her veins with an absolute force.  _

_ “The Sacred Jewel.” _

_ With a resounding beat, her best friend and their new lives faded into infinite darkness. _

_ “Sacred Jewel!” Kagome shouted, eyes searching for a familiar sight. Soon thereafter, as if conjured, the Jewel appeared with her arrow perfectly pierced through its center. “Why did you bring me here?” _

_ “You really thought you could wish me away?” _

_ “But InuYasha and I—” _

_ “InuYasha was never here.” The chilling choir of demons continued, nearly paralyzing the priestess, “He’s never coming.” _

_ The jewel’s claim didn’t make sense because Kagome swore she already lived through this experience. Despite every odd, InuYasha rescued her and she went home. They went home. She already endured this awful limbo, she’d already endured the taunting, and she already spent three days alone. “No, that can’t be true!” If he needed to, InuYasha would find a way to her again. _

_ “Don’t you understand? This is where you’re meant to be,” The Sacred Jewel insisted and it paused, maybe anticipating a gasp from Kagome. She remained silent. “Well, we showed you a vision of what your life could be...” _

_ “What are you talking about?” Kagome asked and it was then that she caught sight of retired green and white fabric. ‘No way...’  _

_ “Would you like to return to the world you saw?” Kagome’s body erupted into a cold sweat, and as she clutched her fists, she felt the absence of her bow for the first time. There was nothing here. “All you have to do is wish for it and you can return.” _

_ “InuYasha!”  _

_ Their life together hadn’t been an illusion. There was no way the Sacred Jewel showed her another vision. If it was trying to get Kagome to make a wish, she’d refuse. Especially if wishing meant she’d lose that future forever. _

_ “InuYasha!” The high schooler called out again without any response. The Sacred Jewel stopped taunting her. “What have you done?” She asked, voice shaking. No answer. Kagome’s breath quickened. This wasn’t right. There was no way that she was still trapped. _

_ “InuYasha!” She screamed, tears flooding at the corners of her eyes. She missed him so much.  _

_ Without her noticing, the jewel faded into the darkness. The only thing that mattered was spotting a spec of red, a dash of stark white hair, or a peek of glowing amber eyes. The black void continued consuming her as she waited for InuYasha. Just the sound of his voice would put her at ease. She just needed to talk to InuYasha. If only she could hear him. “InuYasha...” Tears seared her cheeks and, without warning, an even sharper pain struck her in the middle of her back. It sent straight into the light.  _

“InuYasha!” Kagome exclaimed, gripping the sides of her desk and throwing herself unsteadily forward.

The cringing sound of 32 chairs screeching against the floor filled Kagome’s ears as 33 pairs of eyes—including Ms. Suzuki’s—faced her. The high schooler’s breathing slowed, but her heartbeat continued racing. “Higurashi,” Ms. Suzuki began, rearranging her glasses so they laid higher on the bridge of her nose. “Hallway—now.”

-X-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I took the name Yosono High from Kyokai no Rin-ne. I don’t remember the exact chapter number, but there is an arc where the ghost of a teacher from the neighboring district/school ended up at Rin-ne’s school. I thought using the name would be a nice shoutout to Rumic World. 
> 
> Also, a recent development that I’ve really enjoyed about my writing process for this series (as I have started many chapters ,it’s just the finishing them that gets me—LOL) is the playlist I’ve come up with for it. To share it with you, in a way, I’ll be including lyrics from one song that I believe fit the chapter I’ve written. This time, it’s Death Cab For Cuties’ song “I Dreamt We Spoke Again”.
> 
> “Is anything the way it used to be? I dreamt we spoke, I dreamt we spoke again but when I awoke, when I awoke I could not remember anything you said.”
> 
> Until next time,  
> ~hanmajo


	7. Thirty-Three Days Without You

1095.73 Days Without You

**Chapter Seven: Thirty-Three Days Without You**

The humiliation from yesterday’s nightmare hung on Kagome’s cheek through that night, through this day, and now to this very moment. InuYasha’s name still sat on her lips and as she cautiously placed a single foot into the hallway, she prayed his stealth could be in each step. 

In all of her sixteen years of life, Kagome never once felt intimidated by the darkness that spread across her home at night. Maybe it wasn’t a fear of the darkness that had her now desperately tracing her hand along the hallway walls, but a fear of tripping and accidentally waking up her family on the way to the bathroom. Kagome could easily feign using it, but what if they could tell that she really wanted the nightlight? It made no sense that Kagome, a priestess who fought demons, would start depending on such a childish thing. Or maybe it wasn’t childish. After all, the soft light was reminiscent of the camp fires that lulled her to sleep in the Feudal Era. 

Kagome held in a sigh of relief as her fingers finally hit the entryway of the bathroom. If they asked, she was confident that her brother and grandfather would believe that she missed those nights under the stars, but Mama wouldn’t. She hadn’t even spoken to Kagome regarding InuYasha’s absence, and yet, Kagome found herself the recipient of countless concerned stares—the kinds with softly squinted eyes and even softer furrowed brows. Just the thought of them sent a shiver down Kagome’s spine. But the shiver was short-lived as she found herself beaming at the small, plain nightlight. It was perched perfectly by the bathroom sink, and as her hands reached out and gently pried it free, Kagome couldn’t help but note that it was warm to the touch. It was just like the camp fires she wanted to lie about missing. 

-X-

_ Why am I still awake?  _

Shifting on her side, Kagome squeezed her eyelids shut even tighter. This was her literal ray of light returning to her own personally tainted Sacred Jewel. It was supposed to give her hope. Then again, the last time she returned light to the jewel, Naraku turned the rising hopes of Miroku and Sango against them. Kagome pulled the pink comforter over her head, stifling a groan. If she started comparing her current actions to her life in the past, she would definitely start sounding like Grandpa. She could already hear herself chiding Sota with a know-it-all, “Just because Sachiko doesn’t like you back doesn’t mean you should corner her like this catfish demon that existed five hundred years ago. You might make her call upon a light-hearted old flame that’s now in a committed relationship.” 

Kagome dragged the comforter down her face, frowning. She blinked her eyes a few times before heaving a gentle sigh and traded warmth for the crisp night air. Again. 

This time, as she hesitantly surveyed the hallway, Kagome found herself afraid to discover whether it was the darkness that scared her or if it was being pulled out of that nightmare before seeing InuYasha. Although she reluctantly began readying herself for the answer, it only became another reminder that more than a month had passed since she, her friends, and InuYasha defeated Naraku—how had Kagome ever fallen asleep without them before today? 

Kagome grasped the railing with one hand and wielded her flip phone like a torch in the other. Taking a daring step, she imagined how the late night would unfold if InuYasha were resting in her bedroom. Instead of the mini-shrine, Kagome would be headed toward the kitchen. She’d want a glass of water and every step would be excruciatingly slow so as not to disturb the resting half-demon. Of course that wouldn’t work. InuYasha would get up and he’d approach her before she even made it down the first step. The blue light from her phone would illuminate his face and he’d squint, irritated. Kagome’s feet wouldn’t have made it down the flight of stairs, but instead would only have to close the distance between them. She could flip her cell phone shut without thinking about being in the dark and hold onto him. Kagome just wanted to melt before InuYasha, she wanted to be vulnerable and tell him everything—anything to hear his voice again. And so, when he’d whisper demanding questions, she’d answer.

Instead, Kagome was nearly panicking at how the back door groaned as she tried to close it. 

_ I need InuYasha,  _ Kagome reminded herself, sprinting toward the well. She slid the doors of the mini-shrine open haphazardly, not bothering to close them as she padded down the stairs and over to the Bone Eater’s Well. “I can do this,” Kagome said, as she pointed her cellphone’s meager light into the darkness below. She sucked in a breath and positioned herself to make the jump.  _ InuYasha _ . His name rang in her head as wind caressed her cheeks. This plunge felt so familiar—like the dives she had taken confidently so many times before. This was her moment, she did it. Kagome was going to—

“Oof!” 

It felt like the same wind that so lovingly guided her to the bottom of the well had found a way to not only enter her lungs but leave them just as quickly. Her body performed an on-land belly flop and she pulled herself up, coughing from shock. For the second time in one week, Kagome found herself submerged in total darkness. It felt like there was no way out. Her hands blindly searched for her cellphone as her coughing transformed to shallow breaths. When a small, blue screen shed a match’s worth of light to the area, those shallow breaths evened. 

The ground seemed so innocent as it stared up at her, like it hadn’t realized it could cause anyone pain. Rubbing her chest briefly, Kagome then reached her hand down to touch the dirt. “This can’t be the end, right InuYasha?” InuYasha couldn’t answer her anymore, and somewhere deep inside, a part of her was beginning to suspect—“No.”

-X-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Look, I know what you’re thinking, “hanmajo, if Kagome belly flopped into the well from the top shouldn’t she be severely injured?” And the answer is absolutely. But Sota did the same thing in volume three and he bounced back like a champion so it’s only fair that Kagome gets one free pass. Trust me, she’ll be using a rope ladder every time starting now. 
> 
> The lyrics that correspond the most with this chapter come from Death Cab For Cutie’s “Transatlanticism” which is on my 1095 Days Without You playlist.
> 
> “The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row—it seems farther than ever before. Oh no, I need you so much closer. I need you so much closer. I need you so much closer.”


	8. Forty-Five Days Without You

** 1095.73 Days Without You **

**Chapter 8: Forty-Five Days Without You**

Winds that rivaled hurricanes slammed into Kagome while milky ways threaded through her fingers. The Meido Zangetsuha. She missed InuYasha’s hand. Her mind was spinning trying to process the past ten seconds but by the eleventh, her brown eyes opened to a Tokyo without time travel. The high-schooler still recalled trading collections of cosmoses for the pleats on her skirt. Her fingers raked against the stiff material, dazed. When her classmates called her name, Kagome forgot why she questioned her hand dropping at all.

Kagome lived as an ordinary girl for weeks, oddly misplaced but playing along nonetheless. She hadn’t forgotten the WacDonalds trips or asking her family about the mini-shrine with the dry well. Days kept passing but she was listless; homework, after school clubs, gossiping with her friends–it made sense but the world still felt off center _.  _ It was only after realizing that the Sacred Tree was missing its scar that she remembered.

_ InuYasha _ . 

With the half-demon in her mind, everything had no choice but to fall away. For the first time, Kagome became wholly unreachable. Gone was her life in the modern era, her new school uniform, and the stars that once lit her path. There was only the Sacred Jewel and the prospect of spending an eternity alongside it. 

_ Lately, I’ve been wondering if my dreams are right and I’m still there,  _ Kagome thought, lifting her gaze from the tree’s scar. Would it be that crazy for the jewel to show her a world where she lived normally but knew InuYasha? A place to make her desperate enough to wish. Was InuYasha trapped, too? Was he taken by a pillar of light and frozen in a reality she’d never walked in? 

Kagome remained tethered to this ground, staring aimlessly above the place where she met InuYasha five hundred years ago. Branches rolled with the breeze causing the leaves to chatter. His name rustled on their edges.

__

“Inu–”

“Kagome?”

“Mama!”

“What are you doing out here?” Mama asked, prompting a lump to form in the back of Kagome’s throat. Her mother took purposeful steps, causing the lump to feel a lot larger than it probably was. There was so much Kagome hadn’t dared to address since she and InuYasha returned. There were fears and nightmares now that were beginning to feel larger than city skyscrapers. But the idea of letting those thoughts walk outside of her mind scared her more. She couldn’t answer. “Kagome...” The high-school girl continued to face the Sacred Tree, hesitantly stepping forward in part to continue distancing herself and in part to seek comfort in something familiar. 

Mama grasped Kagome’s shoulder and automatically Kagome’s hand sought the smooth feel of InuYasha’s former resting place. “Did I ever tell you that InuYasha was sealed by an arrow right here?” 

“No,” Mama replied, gently placing several plastic bags off to the side. Kagome’s fingers lightly traced the stripped bark while flashes of sturdy roots and wending ivy blew through her mind. Nothing in that forest stood out more than InuYasha and his trademarked gaudy red get-up. When they first met, Kagome never anticipated that such an ethereal boy would wake up and transform into a brash beast. He was quick to anger, sensitive but only for himself, impatient, unreasonable, jealous, and positively unbearable. And yet, InuYasha became her most faithful companion. He showed her his human heart and she would give anything to walk into her home and find him surrounded by their neighbor’s koi and way too many pigeons. “I—”

“Oh, Sweetheart, I miss him too.”

Kagome spun her head, accidentally making eye contact with what felt like a mirror. Mama always knew what weighed the high-schooler down and to see her worst fear reflecting in her mother–tears Kagome wished would wither flourished. “Mama, he can’t... he can’t be gone,” she stuttered, her hand drifting away from the only remaining part of him.

-X-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter went through so many iterations and I simply cannot believe it took me this long to write. Lol. It was a bit challenging for me to decide how much of what was in Kagome’s heart I thought she’d be ready to share. As it turns out, the answer was not a lot but Kagome didn’t need to say anything for Mama to just know. The lyrics that remind me of this chapter the most come from Billie Eillish’s song “goodbye” which is on my 1095 Days Without You playlist. 
> 
> “Please, please don’t leave me.”


End file.
